Time Traveling through Berlin

I wanted no part of politics. And I wasn't in Berlin to compete against any one athlete. The purpose of the Olympics, anyway, was to do your best. As I'd learned long ago from Charles Riley, the only victory that counts is the one over yourself."

Jesse Owens

Disclaimer: The following events are entirely true and completely awesome. On a more serious note, the following post contains references to WWII and the Holocaust.

I have discovered the art of time-traveling. Yes I, a lowly undergraduate student, have traveled to (and gotten locked in ) 1936 Germany. Confused? Let me explain.

On an sinisterly stormy day in Berlin, I raced to the metro station to catch a subway to a museum. once aboard the correct train, I looked at my watch only to realize the museum was closing in one half hour, not nearly enough time for my moseying pace. Lucky, if summoned by the supernatural sponsors of the day, the conductor of the train announced the final destination, Olympia Stadion. Perfect, I thought, I had been planning to visit the famous stadium at some point. It looked like today was my day.

Berlin Olympic Stadium, 1936

As a background, the stadium was constructed over the area once designated for the Deutsches Stadion, built for the cancelled 1916 Summer Olympics. The new construction was built in order to make the 1936 Olympics a piece of propaganda for Hitler's Germany.  This explains the 110,000 seat stadium, that once held the world record for the greatest attendance of a baseball game. This could have also been a catalyst for the landmarks of the 1936 Olympic Games. It was the first one to be televised as well as the first one to feature the relay-style of the Olympic flame. The now-celebrated torch relay came directly from the mind of Carl Deim, an advisor to the infamous Joseph Goebbels.

The entrance to the stadium

The most famous aspect of this Olympiad, however, was the athletic prowess of Jesse Owen. Prior to the start of the Olympics, Hitler (who had his own viewing box built into the stadium) tried to prevent all African American and Jewish folks from competing at all. Yet, Owens managed to win four gold medals. When asked about his radical athletic defiance Owens remarked, "Hitler didn't snub me-- it was FDR who snubbed me. The president didn't even send me a telegram." Neither President Roosevelt nor his successor President Truman award Owens with any honor, though Hitler sent Owens a inscribed cabinet photo of himself.

With a history as rich and as tormented as this, I was more than enthused to view such a sport legend. However, upon passing through the ominous and foreboding stone gates, I realized the seriousness for this site. I wasn't just entering an Olympic stadium, I was entering Hitler's Olympic stadium. A place once embellished with swastikas and accented with loud nationalistic chants. The aesthetic was absolutely frightening.

A swastika was one affixed on the pillar opposite of the clock.
Even the entrance to the stadium became a piece of propaganda.

As I routed, however, I could not help but be overcome with the awe and wonder of the events that took place here. I stood in the stadium that was ground for Owens' four medals and the 1974 and 2006 World Cups. I touched the bowl that once held the Olympic flame. I saw the heavenly beauty that is an Olympic swimming pool. I was enveloped by the magic of sports that has always held a tight grip on me. Until, that is, I reached Gebhardt plaza.

The bowl of the Olympic Flame

The Olympic Pool

Check out those starting blocks, ah yuh

Gebhardtplaz

Immediately, I was amused by the name on the field. Then I reached the infirmary within the stadium. I learned of Dr. Gebhardt (who, as far as I can tell, has no relation to my family), the head doctor of they Olympics, chief surgeon of the SS, and personal doctor of Heinrich Himmler. A man once known for developing a sports programs for people with disabilities, Gebhardt later used concentration camp prisoners for medical experiments, even going as far as using prisoners' limbs to help Nazi soldiers who had lost their own during the war. Gebhardt was later convicted of war crimes and crimes against humanity and condemned to death.

With this alarming knowledge, I was snapped back into reality. I looked down at my watch, now screaming 7:15pm. The park had closed 15 minutes ago. With some horror, I quickly walked back to the through which I had entered. Locked, of course, with the goddess Nike mocking my stupidity.

Nike, standing/ judging right next to the newly locked gate.

Now, to be locked in any  park after hours is frightening. Imagine being in a stone-encased stadium after reading a horror story on a completely deserted stormy day. I was literally stuck in 1936 Germany. And it was damn near paralyzing.

I walked around a bit, my courage dropping with the setting sun. I couldn't stay the night here. I had to get out. Luckily, I quickly spotted my salvation: horses. I kid you not, the Olympic stadium either has or is connected to a horse farm. In my scared brain I thought, "Horses can't fit into human doors. The horses' gate hasn't been locked, I can find a way out!"

I followed the horses down for a few meters and came across a low gate about waist high. I managed to hop the fence and run into (again, completely true story) German shepherds. Luckily, the dogs were restrained by a fence running perpendicular to the one over which I had just jumped. But remember, I was escaping with the mental mindset of 1936 Germany. I heard one growl and rand like hell.

About a half mile later, I found myself at the Bahn station. I jumped onto the first available train and headed home. Once safely in my sea, I looked down at my sore feet and laughed. I had jumped fences, chased horses, escaped dogs all the while in a mini-skirt and flats. I'm sure that has some sort of symbolism for feminism, I am just not sure what.

Jeannette Campbell, first Argentine female to compete
in the Olympic Games